


The Dot

by YunHo_1819



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dots, Existential Crisis, Gen, Insanity, Internal Conflict, Introspection, Metaphors, POV First Person, The Astral Plane, Thought Projection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:41:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27278167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YunHo_1819/pseuds/YunHo_1819
Summary: Maybe to beings beyond the universe, this is what they see. A dot bursting of life and mystery that they cannot attain.Then again, it could just be a dot, with no actual meaning whatsoever. Does having no meaning count as a meaning? I reached out to touch it, but it darted away.Perhaps the only meaning it has is the one that I apply to it. Perhaps it’s only meaning is existence.Just a short essay I wrote during an earlier exam.Please note that this is self indulgent and doesn't really have anything to do with Voltron at all. But if you want, you could see it as Shiro's thoughts during his time in the astral plane.Rated T for existential crisis.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 1





	The Dot

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for school, but it reminded me of Shiro's time in the astral plane, hence put into this fandom.  
> Note that this is a descriptive essay, so it has no plot.  
> I didn't get good marks for this essay.  
> I know, it over philosophical and not as descriptive as it should be for such an essay. Still, the internal musings I've included in here are pretty intriguing, so I figured I'll share.  
> Yeah, I wrote a whole essay about a dot. But it was either that or about the pandemic so...  
> Plus, I think a lot about this stuff. You could see this as a dump of my shower thoughts.  
> So.  
> Enjoy! :)
> 
> Prompt: You see a dot. It is getting larger by the second. It eventually overwhelms you. Describe what this dot is, and your thoughts, feelings, and reactions as it gets larger, until it overwhelms you.

There was a dot. A speck of black in a sea of white. My eyes darted around inquisitively, finding nothing else. All the universe was full of white, clean and pristine, except this dot. This speck of dust. What was it even doing here?

There was nothing to do. I stared at the dot, which was now the size of a pea, the perfect size to contemplate on. It seemed to swirl and flicker, but a single blink brought it back into place. The movement was calm and hypnotising, grounding me to existence and hyperawareness. Nothing else mattered, just me and the dot, representing all existence. There seemed to be no time, no rush, no fear.

I heaved a breath and closed my eyes.

It was now the size of an apple. I wondered if this was what the beginning of the universe was like, a dot expanding infinitely, to the size of the universe. If that was the universe, then  _ where was I? _

Maybe to beings beyond the universe, this is what they see. A dot bursting of life and mystery that they cannot attain.

Then again, it could just be a dot, with no actual meaning whatsoever. _ Does having no meaning count as a meaning? _ I reached out to touch it, but it darted away. 

Perhaps the only meaning it has is the one that I apply to it. Perhaps it’s only meaning is  _ existence _ .

The dot has expanded to the size of a ball. Why was it black anyway? Why do things have to be black and white, instead of blue and green, or purple and red? Black is the darkest colour and white is the brightest. So is what I’m seeing actually black and white? 

Maybe everything is relative. Maybe what we perceive as the truth is merely the tiniest glimpse of true existence.

Or maybe, we only see what we want to see. I could now hold the dot in my hand. Its smooth, glassy surface did nothing to calm my nerves. Soundlessly it slid to the floor, eliciting a slight jolt of trepidation through my rattled mind.

The dot was now half my size. I still couldn’t get rid of it. Reflective, like a dark mirror, it seemed to ghost my vision wherever I turn.

After all, the concept of direction doesn’t seem to exist in this dreaded place.

The ebony black of the dot seemed to taunt me, twisting my reflection into ghoulish smirks and maniacal fear.  _ Do I actually look like that? _ Twisting my body I thrashed around, trying to rid myself of the drowning sensation of emptiness, and ignore that big, bold dot boring into my skull.

I squeeze my eyes shut, only to find the dot glaring back at me, colours reversed, a white boulder in a sea of black.  _ No, that wasn’t helpful at all.  _

Frantically, I tried to run, but my efforts were futile. Distance meant nothing in this vast, wretched field. I knew I was going insane, both from the crushing possibilities raging in my mind and from the cold nothingness all around me. 

But there was nothing I could do.

What was I really thinking, anyway?

Why ask questions when there was no one to answer? Why should I see, why should I hear, why should I _ feel _ , when there was nothing around me that could be felt?

Maybe this was the truth of existence. Maybe what we perceive is merely a hallucination of our minds, a few nerve impulses and nothing more.

_ Perhaps the only meaning I have is the one I apply to myself. _

I watched as the dot grew before me. It was as tall as me now, inky darkness like a black hole, containing everything yet nothing at all.

I still don’t understand what it was doing here, but maybe that didn’t matter at all.

With a newfound peace I closed my eyes. My hands stopped shaking and my heart was still, as the dot stretched outwards and swallowed me whole.

No sight, no sound, no existence; Now, there was nothing at all.

**Author's Note:**

> So how was it? Hope I didn't give you an existential crisis. o-o  
> I had one during that exam.  
> In the end, I decided that we do not need a meaning. We just are.  
> And we can make good choices in our lives to make it more meaningful. It doesn't matter if we mean anything to the universe, as long as we mean something to ourselves and the people around us.  
> The ending was inspired by All The World's A Stage, from As You Like It.  
> So that's it.  
> Leave comments below! I'll be glad to listen if anyone had similar musings of their own.


End file.
